02-22-2024, 08:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-22-2024, 08:07 AM by Lobsel_Vith.)
There's been a lot of debate over the official ending of Silent Hill 2. Most say it's the In Water ending because in SH4 Henry makes a comment that Frank Sunderland's son (James) and daughter in-law disappeared and never returned. However it's doubtful that James would have gone back to his hometown no matter what the ending might have been, so that brings this up.
What if all the endings are correct? Hear me out on this, first of all it's been said that no matter which ending you get James wouldn't go back home. So right there we really shouldn't use the SH4 quote as a factor of any the endings.
To me the endings represent how the player wants James to feel about Mary, and himself. If one goes for the In Water ending they have to take a lot of damage, examine Angela's knife constantly, look at Mary's picture, listen to the whole conversation in the hallway in order for James to go careening into the lake with Mary's body in the trunk.
If one wants the Maria ending then they must have James wait hand and foot on Maria, follow Maria, stay with Maria, protect Maria, become so obsessed with Maria that Mary pretty much becomes an afterthought. In fact this is the only normal ending in which James doesn't ask for Mary's forgiveness after killing Mary. The reason for this is because James has just finished killing the Mary demon. Him and Maria leave with Maria coughing, and James telling her she should get that cough checked out.
If one wants the Leave ending to be true, then they have to act as Laura does. Search for Mary with the quest to live through this. They have to put Maria as an afterthought, talking to her and protecting her only when necessary. When the Maria demon is killed James meets Mary in what I can only say is a celestial area, in which James is asking for Mary's forgiveness for his sin towards her. When he gets the letter, he leaves Silent Hill with Laura following him.
Those are the normal endings, these are three also where automatically the player decides what motive James will have. Examples
In Water - James is depressed over the death of his wife, and suicidal. He shows this by constantly getting injured, rarely taking his medications to heal himself, placing Maria as an afterthought, looking at everything that reminds him of Mary.
Maria - James is befuddled at the idea of Mary sending him a letter from Silent Hill. He drives to the town, keeping his health in check. When he meets Maria he becomes so obsessed with the idea that she's Mary that he waits on her hand and foot. When he finds out he killed his wife, it doesn't matter much, because he has another Mary right there, why should he feel guilty for killing the sick Mary.
Leave - James is hurt over the death of his wife, but wants answers to why he's being summoned to the town. He places Mary first and foremost in his mind, does not worship Maria, and follows Laura's example. When he finds out the truth about what he did, he comes to terms with what he did. Mary forgives him, and he forgives himself, he leaves.
Then we have the hidden endings, but since I have never played the greatest hits version I'll stick with the rebirth ending and the dog ending. In order to get either of these endings it requires James to go through Silent Hill again and again. In both of the endings James has collect items, even for the dog ending, James must have gotten the rebirth ending.
Unlike the normal endings the motivation and emotions that the players give James has no effect on the hidden endings. As long as James has the four or one necessary item for the endings, he will get them no matter what. All that is required to get these endings is to have James acquire certain items. If one wishes to make James so obsessed with Mary that he wants her back, have him collect the items for the rebirth. If the player wants does not wish to see James, Maria, and Angela dying all they have to do is pick up a dog key, and open an observation room, activating the dog ending. A joke ending to most, but to some it's the ending where everyone (except Eddy) is being forgiven.
Ultimately it's up to the player to decide which ending will be the true one.
What if all the endings are correct? Hear me out on this, first of all it's been said that no matter which ending you get James wouldn't go back home. So right there we really shouldn't use the SH4 quote as a factor of any the endings.
To me the endings represent how the player wants James to feel about Mary, and himself. If one goes for the In Water ending they have to take a lot of damage, examine Angela's knife constantly, look at Mary's picture, listen to the whole conversation in the hallway in order for James to go careening into the lake with Mary's body in the trunk.
If one wants the Maria ending then they must have James wait hand and foot on Maria, follow Maria, stay with Maria, protect Maria, become so obsessed with Maria that Mary pretty much becomes an afterthought. In fact this is the only normal ending in which James doesn't ask for Mary's forgiveness after killing Mary. The reason for this is because James has just finished killing the Mary demon. Him and Maria leave with Maria coughing, and James telling her she should get that cough checked out.
If one wants the Leave ending to be true, then they have to act as Laura does. Search for Mary with the quest to live through this. They have to put Maria as an afterthought, talking to her and protecting her only when necessary. When the Maria demon is killed James meets Mary in what I can only say is a celestial area, in which James is asking for Mary's forgiveness for his sin towards her. When he gets the letter, he leaves Silent Hill with Laura following him.
Those are the normal endings, these are three also where automatically the player decides what motive James will have. Examples
In Water - James is depressed over the death of his wife, and suicidal. He shows this by constantly getting injured, rarely taking his medications to heal himself, placing Maria as an afterthought, looking at everything that reminds him of Mary.
Maria - James is befuddled at the idea of Mary sending him a letter from Silent Hill. He drives to the town, keeping his health in check. When he meets Maria he becomes so obsessed with the idea that she's Mary that he waits on her hand and foot. When he finds out he killed his wife, it doesn't matter much, because he has another Mary right there, why should he feel guilty for killing the sick Mary.
Leave - James is hurt over the death of his wife, but wants answers to why he's being summoned to the town. He places Mary first and foremost in his mind, does not worship Maria, and follows Laura's example. When he finds out the truth about what he did, he comes to terms with what he did. Mary forgives him, and he forgives himself, he leaves.
Then we have the hidden endings, but since I have never played the greatest hits version I'll stick with the rebirth ending and the dog ending. In order to get either of these endings it requires James to go through Silent Hill again and again. In both of the endings James has collect items, even for the dog ending, James must have gotten the rebirth ending.
Unlike the normal endings the motivation and emotions that the players give James has no effect on the hidden endings. As long as James has the four or one necessary item for the endings, he will get them no matter what. All that is required to get these endings is to have James acquire certain items. If one wishes to make James so obsessed with Mary that he wants her back, have him collect the items for the rebirth. If the player wants does not wish to see James, Maria, and Angela dying all they have to do is pick up a dog key, and open an observation room, activating the dog ending. A joke ending to most, but to some it's the ending where everyone (except Eddy) is being forgiven.
Ultimately it's up to the player to decide which ending will be the true one.
